Monday, March 15, 2010

Secret Ballot

All of our readers in King County are cordially invited to engage in a secret election tomorrow.

No, really.

There is an election for the King County Conservation District. This is a large organization that advises on land use in rural King County - things like putting more subdivisions in and protecting wetlands. Pretty important stuff, but it doesn't rate inclusion in the general ballot.

Answering the obvious question: Apparently, it doesn't rate because it has to pay for inclusion on the ballot, and that would be too expensive. Better to run a little election where no one is paying attention.

Answering the next obvious question: Yeah, I guess it DOES mean that we're paying for all those lame Tim Eyeman initiatives that show up every year complaining about government waste. Go figure.

Anyway, back to the main point. On Tuesday, there will be an election for the open position on the five-person board. And no, you didn't miss a mail-in ballot. Instead, you have to go vote in person. And, better yet, there are only SEVEN secret locations in the county you can vote. Yeah, its like a scavenger hunt, or one of those Alternate Reality Games, but this time with Democracy (next time, I understand, you'll only get to vote if you bring a policeman's helmet).

Actually, this year, the Seattle Times has been paying attention to the election, as have sites like Publicola. But this is Democracy on the sly, the late-night vote, the conversation in the cloakroom. The best thing I can recommend is that you HUNT down the nearest location of the voting and GO VOTE. That'll show them.

Oh, right, recommendations. All of the candidate statements are here: I have nothing beyond that a couple recommendations. Those candidates who use the code phrase "Property Rights" usually lose me right off the bat.(1) Of the survivors, I will recommend Max Prinsen though I like Kirk Prindle's concern about over-engineered solutions.

So hunt down your secret ballot box and go secretly vote!

More later,

(1)While property rights are usually presented as "You should have the right to put a pig farm on your property", it usually turns into "Your neighbor should have the right to put a pig farm on HIS property. And then move, because who wants to live near a pig farm?"

Update: Went to the Bellevue Library at noon and the place was packed - 50 people in line. Went back at 3 and there were still 50 people in line (though a different 50), and after I voted there was another 50 behind me. Bottleneck at the license check, but otherwise it took about half an hour and was fairly painless, not counting the loudmouthed bass that was busy scaring the seniors and declaring "If a man doesn't have property rights, he doesn't have anything!". Just this side of electioneering, but they can't afford anyone to stop that sort of thing. I think its time for KCCD to put on its big boy pants and join the general ballot.

Update Update: The final vote count was 4232 votes, are which 1772 went to Max Prinsen, the winner. The Bellevue polling station was packed, as was downtown, which ran out of ballots for a while. Burien and Vashon stations were not so much.

Hardly voting-in-Iraq sort of uncomfortable but still a push for an enthusiastic electorate.